


Promise Me

by Aquata



Category: Rush Hour (TV 2016)
Genre: First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 14:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10665039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquata/pseuds/Aquata
Summary: Lee gets hurt on a case. Carter patches him up and struggles not to reveal how he feels about him.Needless to say he's not entirely successful with that second one.





	Promise Me

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted Carter taking care of Lee and patching up his injuries so this is what happened. It turned out a lot longer than I was expecting!

"LAPD! Open up!" Carter shouted through the door, gun already in his hand as he listened for a response. They knew their suspect was here. They had waited all afternoon for him to arrive home and they weren't going to lose him now.

He could hear muffled swearing from inside the apartment now and that combined with the sound of hurried movements told him their suspect wasn't coming to the door. He shared a glance with Lee and then moved out of the way to give his partner the room he needed to kick the door open, which he did with the kind of easy precision that had Carter hoping he looked as cool when he did that kind of thing.

The door slammed open under the force of Lee's kick and they were through it in moments.

"LAPD! Drop your weapons!" he ordered as their suspect and a man he had never seen before turned their guns on them.

"How 'bout you drop yours?" the second man asked with a nasty sneer and Carter supposed that it at least answered the question of who their suspect's accomplice had been.

"Ain't happening, man," Carter told him calmly, quickly identifying the new man as the greater threat and keeping his gun trained on him. When he spoke though, it was to the man they had initially come here for.

"You don't wanna be doing this, Billy," he said, noting the way Billy's hands were shaking as he held his weapon. He was the weak link in this partnership. If Carter could get him to back down then they only had his accomplice to deal with.

"You were desperate. We know that. Trying to pay your Mom's medical bills on your wages was impossible so you had to look somewhere else."

"You don't know what it's like!" Billy shouted, his hands shaking even more and his expression desperate.

"I know what it's like to grow up with nothing," Carter told him, keeping his voice calm and understanding. "I know what it's like to get pulled into something you don't actually want to do just to try and make ends meet."

"You do?" Billy asked uncertainly and Carter nodded, holding out a placating hand.

"Yeah, I get it, Billy. I do," he said soothingly. "And I ain't gonna lie to you, right now you're going down for armed robbery, no matter what happens here. But if you shoot us, if you shoot cops, then it's a whole different ballgame. You don't want that."

Billy's aim wavered, his gun tipping down slightly.

"Don't listen to him!" his accomplice shouted and Carter eyed the man warily. He certainly didn't look like he'd have a problem shooting cops.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lee edge closer to the man, his stance ready as he waited for an opportunity.

He turned his eyes back to Billy, taking in the reluctance in his expression and knowing he had almost got through to him.

"What happens to your Mom if you shoot us?" Carter asked him and Billy's mouth trembled.

"She needs me," he said tearfully and Carter's heart went out to him.

"I know. But if you kill us, you'll be put away for a long time. You won't be able to help her then," he told him. "Just put the gun down, man. For her."

There was a moment of hesitation but then Billy sniffled loudly, his free hand wiping at his tear filled eyes, and the hand holding the gun started to drop to his side.

"Don't you dare," his accomplice growled, his grip tightening on his own gun but Billy didn't listen to him, the gun falling from his hand to thud onto the floor.

"It's over, Pierce," Billy said but that didn't seem to convince his accomplice at all. Pierce made a sound of outrage, his expression angry and desperate, and Carter knew right then that he was going to shoot.

Lee seemed to know that too because he darted into movement, charging straight at the man.

Pierce tried to change his aim, swinging the gun towards Lee instead but Lee was on him before he could manage it. He grabbed Pierce's arm and the gun went off, shockingly loud in the enclosed apartment, but thankfully the resulting bullet missed everyone in the room and a moment later the gun fell from Pierce's hand as Lee knocked it out of his grip.

Pierce wasn't going down without a fight though. He swung a fist at Lee, getting in a solid hit before Lee could retaliate, but retaliate he did, lashing out to land his own punch with startling speed.

Movement in the edge of his vision had Carter pulling his gaze away from the fight though to see Billy looking terrified and turning on his heel to run.

"Oh hell no," Carter mumbled to himself and he was after him in a heartbeat. Billy hadn't even made it out of the room before Carter was slamming into him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there as he struggled weakly.

"Don't make this worse for yourself, man," he told him as he pulled Billy's arms behind his back to handcuff him. "I really don't wanna have to add resisting arrest."

Billy went limp at that and Carter took the opportunity to snap the handcuffs onto his wrists. Billy sniffled into the carpet but made no sign of moving and Carter turned his attention back to Lee.

He was just in time to see Pierce grab Lee and throw him bodily through a glass table that stood in the center of the room. It made an impressive crash as the glass shattered under the impact and for a moment the two men were still, Lee laying on his side in the ruins of the table, groaning in pain, while Pierce stood over him, a wicked glint in his eyes and the sudden flash of metal in his hand as he pulled a knife from his sleeve.

Carter was on his feet in an instant, intent on leaping to his partner's defense, but Lee was already hauling himself to his feet and throwing himself back into the fight.

They fought quickly, a whirlwind of punches and kicks, and it was obvious that Pierce knew what he was doing in a fight, slashing out with the knife and forcing Lee to dodge the blade. It didn't last much longer though because Lee caught him with a solid kick that sent him reeling backwards and tumbling to the floor, the knife flying out of his hand to land on the carpet a good distance away.

That was all it took because then Lee was on him, one hand flashing out to punch him in the face hard and Carter almost winced at the thud the impact made. That punch did the trick though because it had Pierce dazed enough that Lee could shove him forcefully onto his front so that he could cuff his hands behind his back while the man in question groaned feebly.

For a moment the room was quiet and Carter watched as Lee caught his breath for a moment before releasing his grip on Pierce and lurching to his feet. He winced slightly and reached up a hand to brush fragments of glass from his jacket with a displeased expression.

"You alright?" Carter asked, walking over to him, glass crunching beneath his feet as he reached his side.

"I am fine," Lee told him, his fingers hesitating briefly on his shoulder before he brushed more glass off of it.

"Are you sure? Because he just threw you through a table," Carter commented, watching his partner carefully.

"I am _fine_ ," Lee repeated emphatically, his eyes flickering over to meet Carter's and his expression practically becoming a scowl at both the scrutiny and the mention of the fact that Pierce had actually managed to do that to him. He pulled his jacket around himself, buttoning it up neatly and brushing his hands down it to dislodge more glass with a disgruntled sound.

Carter couldn't help the smile that tugged at his mouth as he watched his partner. Lee always got moody whenever someone managed to get the best of him and, as long as there was no actual harm caused, Carter always found it funny to see him pouting and scowling like a petulant child that had lost their favorite game.

"Come on," he said, clapping a hand on Lee's shoulder and trying to hide the smile that still pulled at his lips. "Let's get these two back to the station and fill in our reports. That'll cheer you up." He would never understand Lee's enjoyment of paperwork.

"And hey, if it cheers you up that much, you can even do my report too," he added.

"I am not doing your report, Carter," Lee told him, his expression easing somewhat as a hint of amusement pushed out some of the discontent.

"You sure? Because I know how you like paperwork and I'm more than willing to donate some of mine to the cause. Y'know, because I'm such a caring partner," Carter said, plastering a falsely sincere expression on his face.

"Yes, I am sure it's because you care," Lee returned sarcastically as he leaned down to haul Pierce to his feet. "Not because you don't want to do your paperwork."

"I know right!" Carter grinned over his shoulder as he crossed the room to get Billy. "I'm glad we're on the same page here."

Lee rolled his eyes at him and let out a huff of amused laughter that had Carter grinning even wider as he helped Billy up.

As much as he enjoyed watching Lee throwing his version of a tantrum, he liked it a lot more when Lee was in a good enough mood to joke with him and he couldn't help the warm rush of pride that ran through him at being able to improve his mood so quickly.

~~~

"I just feel bad for the kid," Carter said as he unlocked the door to his apartment and flicked the light on. "He couldn't afford his Mom's medical bills. What was he supposed to do?"

He headed for the kitchen counter to set down the bags of takeout they had picked up from the Italian restaurant down the road on the way there. The door clicked shut and he heard Lee sigh behind him.

"He still should not have robbed a jewelry store."

"He shouldn't have had to in the first place," Carter argued, angry that Billy had been forced to turn to crime just to keep his Mom alive.

"Perhaps the judge will be lenient with him," Lee offered quietly and Carter turned in surprise to see Lee watching him cautiously. "Nobody was hurt and his situation was desperate."

It was the first time he had heard Lee show any sympathy for any of the perpetrators they brought in and Carter could only stare at him, taken off guard. Lee frowned to himself, averting his gaze.

"Pierce was clearly the driving force of the two of them," he added. "He took advantage of Billy's situation in order to make some fast money for himself. And he was the one that put up a fight when we caught up with them, not Billy. Perhaps that will help."

He shifted self-consciously and Carter realized that this was his attempt at making him feel better. The thought sent a warm tendril of affection curling through him.

"Perhaps," he agreed, although he knew full well that Billy was likely to receive a harsh sentence regardless. The law didn't look too kindly on armed robbery.

Still he appreciated Lee's awkward attempts at comfort, appreciated the fact that he cared enough to try. He sighed and tried to push all thoughts of that day out of his mind. At least he hadn't had to fill out his report yet and go over all the details again. By the time they had made it back to the precinct with their prisoners in tow, it had been getting late and after filling out only the necessary paperwork, Captain Cole had told them to go home and deal with the rest tomorrow.

Carter was grateful for the reprieve, although he suspected that it came mostly because of the stiff way Lee was holding himself. Despite Lee's assurances that he was fine, Carter was sure that he must be developing some pretty nasty bruises from his fall through that table.

He wanted to ask again whether Lee actually was okay but he knew that would just sour his partner's mood and he was unlikely to get a completely honest response anyway. Lee never liked admitting when anything was wrong.

So, instead of prying, he turned his attention to the takeout on the counter and started unpacking it. Lee shifted uncomfortably next to him and Carter wondered once more whether he was in pain from the effects of the fight.

"May I use your bathroom?" Lee asked softly and Carter glanced over at him.

"'Course, man. You don't have to ask, you should know that by now. Mi casa es tu casa," he said waving a vague hand at his apartment in general.

"What?" Lee asked, tipping his head to the side in confusion and Carter almost grinned at how adorable that expression was on him.

"My home is your home," he explained. "You ain't never heard that one before?"

Lee simply shook his head with a frown, looking like he was committing the phrase to memory for future use. Carter smiled at him fondly.

"Go on, man. I'll finish unpacking the food," he told him, pulling the lid off of one of the containers to check its contents. He heard Lee turn and walk away, listening to his soft footsteps as he headed for the bathroom.

Eyeing the food in front of him, he decided he'd rather eat on the couch than at the table so he set about moving it all to the small coffee table that sat in front of the couch. He grabbed some cutlery out of a drawer in the kitchen and then returned to throw himself down on the couch and wait for Lee's return, sinking into the cushions with a relieved sigh.

The food smelled delicious and his stomach growled as he looked at it hungrily, debating whether it would be rude to start without his partner. He waited a few minutes, trying to resist the temptation to just dig in, and then turned his head towards the bathroom in frustration.

"If you're not out here in the next two minutes, I'm starting the food without you!" he shouted. He listened for a response but when none was forthcoming he just huffed to himself and turned his gaze back to the containers of food, one hand tapping impatiently on his knee.

More minutes passed and still Lee didn't reappear so Carter made his decision.

"I warned you!" he called out as he reached for a fork and started on the nearest container, reasoning that it was Lee's fault for disappearing anyway. He sighed in contentment at the taste of it and took another mouthful. Lee would probably have started without him if the positions were reversed anyway.

He kept eating and it wasn't until he was halfway through the container that he realized Lee still hadn't made an appearance. He turned his head towards the bathroom, with a concerned frown, chewing his lip for a moment as he considered his options.

Finally he heaved himself off of the couch and headed for the bathroom, stopping outside the door.

"You okay, Lee?" he called and heard a clatter followed by a hiss of pain."Lee?" he repeated, more than a little concerned now.

"I am fine," Lee responded, his voice muffled by the door, but his voice sounded tight with pain.

"You don't sound it," Carter replied, thinking back to their earlier fight and trying to figure out if Lee could be more injured than he had thought. "Let me in."

"Carter-" Lee started to argue but Carter cut him off, already jiggling the door handle and finding it locked.

"I'm serious, Lee. You have thirty seconds to unlock this door or I'm kicking it down myself," he said, suddenly sure that Lee was injured and trying to hide it. He heard Lee sigh in defeat and then there was a click as he unlocked the door.

Carter pushed the door open quickly, taking a step into the bathroom but stopping short at what he saw.

"What the hell, Lee!" he burst out as he took in the scene before him. The first aid kit that he kept in the cabinet was now out on the counter, its contents scattered, and Lee was stood near it, his jacket discarded and his shirt hanging open.

Carter's heart almost stopped as he saw the amount of blood staining that shirt and he suddenly remembered the way Lee had buttoned up his jacket after the fight. At the time he had thought it was just Lee being neat and impeccably presented as always but now he realized that he had been trying to hide the blood.

"You said you were fine!" he accused turning wide eyes on Lee. "This ain't fine!"

"It is not as bad as it looks," Lee defended quickly, holding out a hand as if to soothe a scared animal. The effect might have been more soothing if he hadn't been holding a blood stained cloth that he had clearly been using to clean his injuries.

Carter made a distressed sound and Lee seemed to realize his mistake, dropping his hand to his side to hide the cloth.

"It is just a few cuts," Lee tried to explain and Carter finally managed to make his feet work, rushing forwards to see for himself. He pushed Lee's shirt further open and sucked in a breath as he saw the array of cuts scattered across his side. Some of them even still had glass in them, which explained the set of tweezers that Lee was currently trying to hide in his other hand.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me? You should've been checked out at the hospital!"

"I do not need a hospital," Lee said stubbornly. "I can handle it myself."

"I don't _care_ if you can handle it yourself! You still should've been checked by someone who knows what they're doing!" Carter insisted, still staring at the blood on Lee's skin.

"I know what I am doing," Lee argued and Carter could hardly believe his partner actually thought this was okay.

"You hid this from me," he accused suddenly, jabbing a finger in Lee's face. "You pretended you weren't hurt. All that time we were at the precinct you said nothing. And then you let me go and get takeout and the whole time you were bleeding everywhere instead of doing anything about it! Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?"

"You didn't need to know. You were upset about Billy," Lee said softly and something inside Carter lurched at the thought that Lee had been worried about him.

"You wouldn't have told me even if I wasn't upset," he said though because he knew it was the truth.

Lee at least had the good grace to look guilty, shifting slightly on the spot and averting his eyes.

"No," he agreed quietly. "I did not think you needed to know."

Carter's expression turned furious at that, anger burning under his skin. "You didn't think I needed to know? You're my partner. Hell, you're my best friend! Of course I need to know!"

Lee was something else to him too but he couldn't exactly tell him that, couldn't tell him about the icy fear that had lodged in his chest at the sight of him covered in blood, couldn't tell him about the way Carter wanted to soothe his pain and press his hands to every inch of his skin in order to find every single place he was hurt, couldn't tell him about the way he wanted to press their mouths together and feel the warmth of his body just to check that he was alive and safe.

He knew injury was one of the risks of their jobs. He had accepted that long ago and although he couldn't help the way he worried sometimes, he had come to terms with the fact that all he could do was be there to try and protect his partner from everything their jobs threw at them on a daily basis. He accepted that.

But to have Lee lie to him about it like that, to have him hide his injuries from him. It stung. And it had him worrying that Lee might one day try to hide an injury far more serious than just a few cuts. The very idea of it made him nauseous.

"I'm sorry," Lee offered quietly, looking taken aback at the strength of Carter's reaction. "I did not mean to upset you."

"Do you even understand why I'm upset?" Carter asked incredulously and when Lee didn't respond that was answer enough.

Carter let out a heavy breath, his anger draining from him to be replaced by bone deep worry as he looked at Lee's injuries. He would have preferred it if Lee went to a hospital to be examined by an actual medical professional but he knew there was absolutely no chance of that happening so he was going to have to make do with whatever they could manage in his bathroom.

"Let's just get you patched up," he sighed and then reached up to pull at the fabric of Lee's shirt, peeling it from his skin and pulling it down his arms, trying to be careful when Lee winced at the movement. When he had imagined undressing Lee it had always been in vastly different circumstances.

He tossed the bloodied fabric to the floor, not caring if he made a mess when his partner was standing injured in front of him. There was another gash on Lee's shoulder that hadn't been visible to him before, a clean red line that thankfully didn't look too deep. Carter added it to the list of things to deal with.

"Give me those," he demanded, reaching out to snatch the tweezers from Lee's hand. "And sit down over there." He pushed at Lee guiding him backwards and pressing at his uninjured shoulder until he sat down on the closed lid of the toilet. Then he dropped to his knees, crowding in close until he had good access to the cuts on his side, ducking his head to examine them more closely.

Lee made a startled sound at the move and it was only then that Carter realized he had just shoved his way between Lee's legs and was now kneeling between them. His cheeks burned at the sudden intense awareness of their position and he could only hope that Lee wouldn't notice his embarrassment.

He cleared his throat and dragged his mind away from all the other things he would like to do to Lee from this position, forcing himself to focus on his injuries instead. It wasn't difficult given the way the sight of all that blood smeared across Lee's skin had him feeling worried and sick.

He reached out a tentative hand to pull at one of the pieces of glass with the tweezers, wincing in sympathy when Lee tensed at the touch. He pulled the fragment out and reached up to drop it into the sink with a quiet clink before turning his attention to the next fragment.

He worked quietly, his other elbow resting on Lee's leg for stability as he pulled fragment after fragment from his skin.

"In future, you tell me when you get hurt, okay?" he murmured as he focused on the job at hand.

"Okay," Lee agreed, his voice hushed and Carter looked up briefly to see Lee's eyes fixed on his hand as he reached for another piece of glass.

"I mean it, Lee. I don't care if it's just something minor. You tell me about it, alright?" he insisted because he still didn't quite believe that Lee would stick to that agreement. "I know you've got this whole thing going on where you hate admitting you're not completely perfect but everybody gets hurt sometimes, man. It doesn't make you any less good at your job and I'm sure as hell not gonna judge you for it. You gotta stop trying to pretend you're invincible."

"I do not think I'm-" Lee started to say but Carter gave him a _look_ that had him thinking better of it and he closed his mouth on the rest of the words.

"Look, I get that you want to do everything yourself and you hate not being able to but that's why you have a partner. That's why you have me," Carter explained patiently as he dropped another piece of bloody glass into the sink. "And I need to know that you'll tell me when you get hurt."

He looked up at Lee, his expression pleading as he met his eyes, willing him to understand. "Can you promise me that? I mean, imagine if I was the one that got hurt and I hid it from you. How would that make you feel?"

He watched Lee's expression carefully, saw the concern and then sudden comprehension as it filled his face.

"I would not like it," Lee admitted softly, something in his eyes that Carter couldn't quite name.

"That's exactly how I feel. Promise me you'll tell me in future," he implored, needing him to actually say the words.

Lee watched him for a moment, his eyes dark and thoughtful. "I promise."

Carter relaxed at the words. Lee sounded sincere and if there was one thing he knew about his partner, it was that he was true to his word. Lee may not like admitting to any weakness but Carter trusted him to keep his promise.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, his free hand reaching up to pat at Lee's shoulder without even thinking about it. Lee looked surprised at the touch and Carter realized it was probably a step too far to touch him like that while he was shirtless. He pulled his hand back quickly and turned his eyes back to Lee's side.

"Alright, I think that's all the glass," he said quickly in an attempt to cover his awkwardness. "Where'd that cloth go?"

Lee held his hand out wordlessly, offering up the cloth that he had been using earlier to clean the blood from his skin. Carter took it from him and stood to fill the sink with water, glad of something to do with his hands that didn't involve touching Lee. When the sink was full enough he turned the water off again and dropped the cloth into it, rinsing it out and watching as the water turned pink around it.

"Carter?" Lee asked quietly and Carter looked across to see him sat unmoving, his legs still spread from where Carter had been sat between them.

"Yeah?"

"You would tell me too, wouldn't you? If you were hurt?" Lee sounded tentative in a way Carter had never heard before and it had him wanting desperately to reassure him.

"Of course I would," he said, pulling the cloth from the water and wringing it out. He moved to kneel back between Lee's knees again and pressed the damp cloth against his skin, wiping at the smears of blood. He offered him a small smile. "Have you ever known me to keep quiet about bein' hurt?"

Lee let out a breath that might have been a quiet laugh. "No. I suppose not."

"There you go then," Carter grinned. "I promise I'll complain loudly every time I get hurt."

"You do that already."

"Yeah well if I have to suffer so do you, man. That's how friendship works," Carter informed him brightly and Lee's mouth twitched into one of his rare smiles that always made Carter's heart skip in his chest.

He got caught up in that smile, absently wiping the cloth at Lee's side without looking until Lee suddenly hissed in pain as he accidentally pressed too hard.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized hurriedly, forcing his attention back to what he was doing instead of the way Lee's dimples showed when he smiled. He cleaned the blood away carefully, dabbing gently at his skin and trying not to hurt him.

"You're lucky none of these need stitches," he commented as he examined the cuts, grateful that they all appeared to be relatively shallow. It could have been a lot worse. He swiped the cloth down to the edge of Lee's pants, noting the nasty bruise that was starting to form just above his hip.

"I think it caught the edge of the table as I fell," Lee said, his fingers prodding at the bruise until Carter batted them away.

"Stop poking it," he chastised as he wiped the last of the blood from Lee's side. He reached up to dunk the cloth back in the sink, twisting his body so that he could rinse it out without having to stand, before pressing it back to Lee's side, intent on making sure all of the cuts were clean.

"Can you see the antibiotic ointment somewhere?" he asked absently as he rubbed at the last of the cuts and then dropped the cloth back in the sink, leaving it there as he turned his head to look for the tub that he knew was somewhere in the first aid kit.

Lee made a quiet sound of acknowledgement and then he was leaning over Carter, suddenly so close that Carter found himself holding his breath as Lee reached out a hand to grab a small pot out of the open kit. He pulled back, pressing it into Carter's empty hand, and Carter had to try to remember how to breathe again.

"Thanks," he managed to get out breathlessly, blinking up at him for a moment, before twisting the lid off of the tub and dipping his fingers into it. Then he pressed them to Lee's side, carefully dabbing the ointment onto each of the cuts in the hope that it would stop them from getting infected.

"I don't know what you want to do about covering them," he commented as he smeared the ointment onto his skin. "I don't think I've got anything big enough to cover them all. We could maybe tape some dressings together or something..."

"I think I'll just leave it for now," Lee replied, tipping his head to examine the cuts for himself. "The ointment will do a good enough job and I'll deal with covering them later if I have to."

Carter hummed in agreement as he rubbed the ointment in carefully. "If you say so."

He pulled his hand back and examined his work before deeming it satisfactory. He leaned back on his heels and then stood up, grimacing with distaste at the ointment on his hand. Stepping away from Lee, he washed his hand in the sink before draining the dirty water from it and refilling it again.

The sound of running water filled the room and he took a moment to look at Lee again, eyeing the gash on his shoulder that he still had to deal with. When the sink was full of clean water once more, he grabbed the wet cloth again, wringing it out with both hands before turning to step back between Lee's legs.

He stayed on his feet this time, peering down at the cut on his shoulder. Stood like this, Lee's head only came up to his chest and he had to turn his head to the side so as not to press his face into Carter's t shirt.

It felt incredibly intimate, especially when Lee tipped his head up to look at him, his expression open and trusting. It had Carter wanting to run a hand through his hair, wanting to cup his cheek and lean down to press their mouths together.

Instead he took a shuddering breath and pressed the cloth in his hand to the skin of Lee's shoulder, cleaning the cut as best he could and wiping the blood off of the area around it.

"How did this happen?" he asked quietly as he worked. "It's nowhere near the others."

"His knife," Lee admitted, some of his earlier displeasure creeping back into his voice and Carter thought he might actually pout.

"Man, you did not have a good time of it in that fight," he teased and Lee pushed at his hip in discontentment. A laugh bubbled its way up Carter's throat at that action and the hint of a scowl beginning to form on Lee's face.

"He was a skilled fighter," Lee defended with a huff and Carter smiled at him indulgently.

"Not as skilled as you though. You kicked his ass," he said affectionately and Lee's expression turned pleased.

Carter took a moment to appreciate that look, tucking away the knowledge that Lee liked being complimented on his fighting skills for future use.

He cleaned the last of the blood from Lee's shoulder with careful movements and then reached for the ointment again, starting to rub it into the cut gently.

"I'm gonna cover this one," he said as he rubbed gentle circles into Lee's shoulder. "It'll be much easier to do than the others."

He stayed there perhaps a little longer than was really necessary, unable to pull himself away from the slow slide of his fingers over Lee's warm skin but finally he dragged himself away to wash the ointment from his hand once more.

Then he dug through the first aid kit for an appropriate dressing, pushing things aside and making more of a mess on the counter, until he found one the right size. He pulled it from the packaging and stepped in close again, nudging Lee's head gently to the side so that he had better access to his shoulder.

"Alright, stay still," he murmured, even though Lee hadn't shown any sign of moving so far. He pressed the dressing to his skin, covering the cut carefully and smoothing it into place with careful fingers. He ran his hands over the edges, making sure it was stuck down securely before pulling his hands back to look at it in satisfaction.

"There you go," he said softly, his voice tinged with pride as he examined his work, one hand moving absently to rest on Lee's uninjured shoulder. "All done."

He looked down at Lee, meeting his eyes and finding Lee already looking back with something soft in his expression. The sight of it had Carter's breath catching in his throat. He had never seen Lee look at anyone with that kind of unguarded affection before, and to have it aimed at him was enough to make him warm all over.

"Thank you," Lee said sincerely and Carter couldn't find it in himself to pull away. His hand was still on Lee's shoulder but he couldn't make himself move it, couldn't tear his eyes away from Lee's.

There was a long slow moment as they looked at each other and the air felt heavy with something unsaid. Then Lee reached up a hand to cover Carter's where it rested on his shoulder, his fingers warm against the back of his hand.

Carter opened his mouth to say something but, for the first time in a long time, words escaped him and all that came out was a shuddering breath as he let his free hand slide up to curl around the back of Lee's neck, cradling the base of his skull and letting his fingers thread through his hair.

Lee's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, an expression of contentment crossing his face, but then he opened them again to look up at Carter with soft affection. He reached up with the hand that wasn't already on Carter's, his fingertips brushing along Carter's cheekbone before cupping his palm against his cheek.

"Carter," he murmured softly and Carter felt that one word all the way down to his bones. It was said with such tenderness that he wanted to hear it again and again, wanted to hear Lee say his name like that every day for the rest of his life.

It gave him the courage to lean down and press their mouths together, brushing his lips against Lee's with such gentleness that it was almost reverent.

He felt Lee sigh into the kiss, felt Lee's hand twitch over his, and then he was pulling back just far enough to look him in the eyes.

"Is this okay?" he asked, breathless despite the fact that it had only been the briefest touch of lips.

Lee nodded, his hand tugging gently at Carter's cheek as he urged him back down again.

"Yes," he breathed as their mouths connected once more, gentle and tentative. Lee's mouth opened against his and Carter deepened the kiss, letting his hands move to cup Lee's jaw as he reveled in the slow slide of their lips.

Lee made a quiet sound in his throat, eager and needy as he gripped at Carter's hips and kissed him harder, the kiss gaining pace as Carter responded to his insistent movements. It was enough to send Carter's mind spinning and he sucked in a heavy breath through his nose as he got lost in the firm press of his hands, the heat of his mouth, the taste of his tongue. He felt dizzy with it, hazy and off kilter. He never wanted it to end.

All too soon though they were pulling apart, panting into each other's mouths and smiling against each other's lips as they gasped for breath.

Lee's hands curled into his belt loops, holding him gently in place and stopping him from going any further, not that Carter would want to be anywhere but there, stood between Lee's legs, the memory of his kiss still fresh on his lips as Lee looked up at him with contented eyes.

He leaned in to kiss him again and Lee responded easily, his mouth soft and pliant against Carter's. It was everything Carter had wanted for such a long time now, the feeling of Lee's mouth against his and the warmth of his skin under Carter's hands.

He pulled back with a smile, looking down at Lee and taking the opportunity to stare at him in a way he had never been allowed to do before. He was truly gorgeous. Carter had always known that. But seeing his soft brown eyes up close, seeing the curve of his mouth from this angle, was something else entirely and it had his breath catching in his chest.

Lee seemed to be taking the opportunity to simply look at him too but there was something like apprehension creeping into the corners of his expression.

"Carter?" he asked quietly, his hand trailing down Carter's arm, fingertips gentle against his skin. "What does this mean to you?"

His eyes darted away from Carter's for a moment, looking tentative, uncertain, and Carter wanted more than anything to reassure him, to stop him from over thinking this like he did everything.

"It means I want to be with you," he answered, reaching out to brush the backs of his fingers against Lee's cheek. "What does it mean to you?"

Lee tipped his head into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut for the briefest of moments before opening again.

"I love you," he said simply, blunt as ever.

Carter smiled at him fondly, running a hand through his hair just as he'd longed to do for such a long time now. "I love you too."

He leaned down to kiss him again, slow and gentle, enjoying the way Lee's lips parted under his. They took their time as they explored each other and Carter's heart sang with joy as he put that love into each leisurely slide of their mouths. He was just tilting his head to deepen the kiss when Lee's stomach rumbled loudly and he pulled back with an amused smile tugging at his lips to see Lee looking embarrassed.

"I'm sorr-" Lee started to say, flustered, but Carter cut him off by pressing a brief, chaste kiss to his mouth.

"You haven't eaten," he said when they parted, finding one of Lee's hands and linking their fingers together. He took a step back, tugging gently on Lee's hand until he stood up to follow.

"C'mon, food's still out," he told him, turning towards the door and pulling Lee after him. "We might have to heat it up though. I blame you for that."

He grinned over his shoulder at him and was surprised when Lee used their joined hands to pull him to a stop, stepping in close and cupping his other hand against Carter's jaw.

Carter didn't think he'd ever get over having Lee this close. His breath hitched in his chest and his blood thrummed pleasantly as Lee ducked his head, his nose skating along Carter's cheek before he brushed their lips together in the softest of kisses.

Carter hummed contentedly at the touch, melting against him and letting Lee steal a slow, lingering kiss that made his heart flutter in his chest.

When they finally parted, he kept his head tipped back to look up at Lee. He knew he had a ridiculous smile plastered across his face but he was happy to see that Lee was smiling too, a gentle curve of his lips that Carter had never seen before but wanted more of with a quiet yearning that tugged at his chest.

He wanted to kiss him again, wanted to lose himself in him and never look back, but he was conscious that Lee still needed food and so he took a reluctant step back, sparing a glance for the bathroom and noting the mess they'd made, the bloodied shirt on the floor and the scattered first aid supplies. He'd deal with it later when they weren't hungry and when he didn't have an incredibly attractive partner tugging at his attention.

"We should eat that dinner," he said, even though all he really wanted to do was press himself back against Lee and feel the gentle touch of his mouth. It was made even more difficult by the fact that Lee was still shirtless and oh so distracting.

He turned away to stop himself doing something that would delay dinner even longer and led the way out of the bathroom, content in the knowledge that there were plenty more kisses to come and, when he chanced a look back at Lee, he found him watching him with a quietly happy expression that Carter couldn't help mirroring.

It certainly wasn't the way he had expected the evening to go but as he led him back towards the food, Lee's hand warm in his, he really couldn't have been happier.

**Author's Note:**

> Well I hope you liked it!
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


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